Vedic Mythology c5.s6.1

c5.s6.1

§. 44. A peculiar feature of Vedic mythology is the celebration in pairs of a number of deities whose names are joined in the form of a special kind of dual compound in which both members are dual, accented, and occasionally separable¹. About a dozen gods are thus conjointly praised in at least sixty hymns of the RV. The name of Indra enters into seven or more than half of these combinations, but by far the largest number of hymns — twenty-three, and parts of several others — is addressed, to the pair *Mitráváruṇā*. Eleven are dedicated to *Indrāgnī*, nine to *Indrā-váruṇā*, about seven to *Indra-vāyū*, six to *Dyā́vā-pṛthivī́*, two each to *Indrā-sómā* and *Indrā-bṛ́haspátī*, and one each to *Indrāviṣṇū*, *Indrā-pūṣaṇā*, *Somā-pūṣaṇā*, *Somā-rudrā*, and *Agnī́-ṣómā*. A few other couples, including the names of nine or ten deities not mentioned above, are invoked in detached verses. These are *Indra-nāsatyā*, *Indrā-parvatā*, *Indrā-marutāḥ*, *Agnī-parjanyā*, *Parjányā-vā́tā* (once *Vātā-parjanyā*), *Uṣā́sānā́ktā* or (less often) *Náktoṣā́sā*, *Sū́ryā-mā́sā* or *Sūryā-candramasā*.